Simple Touch
by ByTheAngelIsThatWillHerondale
Summary: Blackstairs oneshots. Romance/Friendship.
1. Chapter 1

_The Blackstairs feels have hit me hard after finishing COHF. Since there is little to no TDA fics yet, I decided to write this short oneshot. Enjoy!_

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Emma cursed under her breath as the knife she had thrown sailed past the target and into the wall. It was like she was ten years old again, learning how to throw for the first time. She could feel Julian's eyes on her from the other end of the room, the main source of her distraction.

With a startling clatter, she dropped the rest of the knives to the floor. She threw a clean towel over her shoulder and sat down on the bench with a groan of frustration. Burying her head in her hands, it wasn't until she felt a hand on her back that she realized Julian had come and sat next to her.

Her instinct these days was to flinch away. Upon realizing the depth of her feelings for him, she had tried to avoid physical contact as much as she could. This had proved more of a challenge than she had expected. She had never noticed how much her _parabatai _and she had casually touched each other until now. Cringing internally, she let him rub her back, trying to stop the erratic pounding of her heart.

"What's up, Em? You've seemed off for a few weeks now. Something bothering you?" Julian's blue-green eyes held genuine concern for her. She felt a pang of remorse in her chest.

_Nothing you could fix_, she thought.

"Aw, come on Emma. I'm sure I can. Just tell me what's wrong," Jules pleaded. Realizing she had said that aloud, she blushed; covering her face with her hands even more to hide it.

"Just drop it, Jules. I already told you that you can't help me with this one, okay? You don't have to constantly be worrying about me," burst Emma, her voice a coming out lot harsher than she had intended.

Julian blinked, removing his hand from her back. She immediately felt guilty; she could tell he was hurt.

She sighed, standing up. "I'm sorry, Jules. I didn't mean that."

He offered a small smile in return. "It's alright. How about we just move on to some hand-to-hand?" Julian suggested.

Emma's heart sank. She had been especially evading hand-to-hand training with Julian lately, but she could put it off no longer. Nodding faintly, she pulled a training dagger from the rack on the wall and went to stand on the mat with Julian.

Squatting low, she anticipated Julian's first attack. He lunged to the left, but she rolled to the right. Unsheathing her practice dagger, she came at him from his exposed back, thinking she could get a blow in before he spun around. But he had seen her already, and she found herself tumbling backwards onto her back, Julian landing directly on top of her.

Her pulse spiked. This was the exact situation she had been trying to avoid or weeks. She swallowed hard as she gazed up at Julian's exuberant face, every inch of her body on fire where their skin made contact.

"I finally beat you! Let this day go down in the history books. The title will read: _Julian Blackthorn knocks the wind out of Emma Carstairs in hand to hand combat training_."

_You've knocked the wind out of me in all senses, Jules, _she wanted to say. But even if she had been able to breathe, she wouldn't have had the courage to speak those words aloud.

She didn't know if she ever would.

Emma turned her face away from Julian so he couldn't see the tears welling in her blue eyes.

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_Review and let me know if you want a collection of Blackstairs oneshots or if I should just leave this one as it is. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Since most of you guys wanted me to make this a blackstairs oneshot collection, here's another short one. Enjoy._

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Emma hummed along to the music as she climbed out of the shower, wrapping herself in her favorite hot pink towel. Her phone speakers blasted, echoing off the high ceiling of the bathroom. She nodded her head to the beat as Katy Perry sang. Flipping her wet hair in the mirror, she started to sing along.

"_California girls, we're unforgettable_," she muttered, brushing her hair. "_Daisy dukes, bikinis on top…_" she took the brush in one hand, holding her towel in another. Walking out into her bedroom, she swayed her hips as she sashayed around her room. Using the the brush as a pretend microphone, she started to belt the lyrics. _"California girls, we're undeniable, fine, fresh, fierce, we got it on lock; west coast represent, now put your hands up!_" she threw up her hands in the air and her towel slid down a few inches. Emma didn't even notice; she was caught up in the song. That is, until someone opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Hey Emma, I was- woah there!" Julian exclaimed, covering his eyes. Emma scrambled back, pulling her towel up again and dropping the brush to the floor. Unfortunately, California Girls was still blaring from her phone. She was busted.

Julian grinned slyly. "Katy Perry, eh? I never knew you liked her, Em," he chuckled.

Emma blushed, completely mortified, as she heard the next lyrics: _Sex on the beach, we don't mind sand in our stilettos, oh oh._

"Um, let me just," she rushed to turn off her phone. "There. So um, what did you want, Jules?"

"Uh uh, not that fast." That grin was still plastered on his face. "Is Emma Carstairs a California girl?" he mock whispered.

"Julian…" Emma whined.

"Do you like having _sex on the beach_? I never knew this about you Emma. I thought you hated the water." He was smiling now, trying not to laugh. Emma glared.

"Jerk," she muttered, slapping his arm.

"I'm just messing with you, Em. I know you were just having fun. Uh, why don't you put some clothes on, and then we can talk," he said eying her towel.

"Yeah, alright," she mumbled, still bright red.

She thought she heard him mumble _nice towel_ as he closed the door, but she couldn't be sure.

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_Review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_My friend mentioned the possibility that Julian doesn't return Emma's feelings and I had to write this. Enjoy the pain ;)_

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A knock sounded at the door. Emma set down her book and slid off her bed tiredly. It was late, going on midnight, but Emma was too anxious to sleep. Jules was out in the city without her, which always made her edgy. But this time it was worse. He was on a date. Jules just happened to be dating the most obnoxious shadowhunter she had ever met. _Seriously_, Emma thought, _does that girl even know the definition of modesty?_

Wondering who would be coming to her room this late, she opened the door, stifling a yawn.

"Jules?" She looked up and found him standing there, hair tousled and grinning.

"Hey Em. Did I wake you up? Sorry if I did," he said, coming in and flopping down on her bed.

Emma cleared her throat. "No, you didn't. How was your date?" she asked, mostly out of obligation.

Julian's smile grew even more as he sighed happily. "Perfect. I really like her, Emma. She's everything I could want in a girl. Smart, funny, brave, a good shadowhunter..." he trailed off.

Emma's heart deflated. _Aren't I all those things too, Jules?_

She didn't know what to say. What _was _there to say? She bowed her head and stayed silent as Julian stared at the ceiling and daydreamed about his…girlfriend. The label sounded like a curse word in her head.

"Emma?" Julian sat up, eyeing her curiously. "What's wrong? Don't you like Lydia?"

Emma felt her a knot form in her throat as she fought the tears stinging at her eyes. "I like her fine, Jules," she managed, her voice cracking.

Jules looked concerned as he came to stand in front of her. "Come on, Em. I know you're upset." W-H-A-T-S-W-R-O-N-G-? He traced on her arm.

She ripped her arm from his grip, the tears finally spilling. She turned and pounded her fist against the wall, distraught and angry at the unfairness of it all. Emma choked on a sob, laughing at her own stupidity. Why would she think that Julian would ever return her feelings? _Get it together, Em._

"Emma?" Julian whispered.

She finally lost it. "I hate that bitch because I've been _in love with you for two years!_" she yelled. "How do you think I'm going to feel when you're constantly talking about her in front of me?!"

Julian stood there, mouth agape. "Emma," he whispered. "I'm so sorry-"

"Forget it. I shouldn't have even told you."

He stepped towards her. "Emma, I wish I could say I shared the same feelings as you. But you know it's forbidden to love your _parabatai_ romantically." He said, his expression pained.

"I know," Emma whispered miserably. "You think I haven't been trying to fight it?"

Julian swallowed. "I think we should both just get some sleep and work this out in the morning. Okay?" He walked out and shut her door before she could respond.

She buried her face in her pillow, screaming into it. After it was soaking wet with her snot and tears, she threw it on the floor. Grabbing her dagger she always kept on her bedside table, she hurled it at the pillow, pinning it to the ground.

_That pillow is a metaphor for my heart_, she thought, laughing at the cruel irony.

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_Review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_These are a collection of drabbles I wrote by request and posted on my tumblr. Enjoy!_

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"How long are you going to force me to sit here, Jules?" Emma whined from her seat on the roof. Julian had been inspired to paint a still life this afternoon, and was now using Emma as his subject. It was a breezy, warm day in Los Angeles, the perfect day for painting on the roof. Unfortunately Emma didn't seem to think the same.

He ran a hand through his unruly brown hair, smearing paint, but he didn't care. He had to get this painting just right. Something was off in his depiction of her, and he wasn't going to quit until her got it absolutely perfect.

He looked up just as Emma turned her head to face the city vista. At that moment, the sunlight glinted off her long blonde hair and her mouth turned up in a smile as she basked in the warmth. His heart stopped.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

And he was irrevocably in love with her.

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"Jules, stop!" Emma screeched as Julian splashed her with frigid ocean water. He knew she could bear to put her feet in the water, but anything above her hips made her panic.

"Sorry, Em," Jules said, grinning. He shook out his hair as he waded over to the shallow water where Emma was cautiously standing. Pulling out a piece of seaweed that had been stuck in his hair, he placed it on Emma's exposed shoulder when she was looking down.

"AH! JULES!" She shrieked, flinging the seaweed off of her. In her haste, she stumbled back and lost her balance in the sand. Julian reached out to catch her, but her momentum sent him tumbling with her.

Julian braced himself on top of Emma, staring down at her bikini-clad body. A wave of heat rose to his face as took her in. She was looking up at him with such a strange expression.

Something made him whisper, "Emma," and that was the spark. Their mouths clashed with pent up passion that surprised them both. Lips moving in sync, he wound his sand covered hands in her hair. She arched her back into him, deepening the kiss. Finally, he came to his senses and pulled away.

"Emma," his voice cracked. "We-we can't do this-" But she merely pulled his face to hers, their lips meeting again.

Their friendship had been irretrievably changed as the sun settled beneath the horizon on a warm California evening.

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As the Shax demon came hurtling towards Emma, she unsheathed a knife from her belt and aimed for its eye. She faintly heard Julian screaming at her to move, but she was determined to take this one down by herself. Unfortunately, she miscalculated the speed at which the demon was charging at her. By the time she had found her aim, her head was hitting the hard concrete of the alley.

As she fought for her vision, she heard Julian grappling with the demon. She wanted to go to him, to scream for him to get away, that she could handle it, but she couldn't find the energy to stand.

Footsteps echoed off the close walls of the alley and she saw Julian's face hover over hers.

"Emma? Emma, please no, come on. Fight for me," she heard him plead. She registered the sting of his stele as he frantically drew _iratzes_ up her arm.

She managed to blink and cough out, "I'm…here, Jules."

"Oh thank God," Julian breathed, pulling her close. "I thought I'd lost you, Em. Don't scare me like that again."

"But you'll always come to help me, Jules," she mumbled, smiling. "That's why I love you." And then she let the darkness surround her.

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Emma and Julian lay side by side on the red blanket they had dragged up the hill. Julian leaned over her and dropped a grape in her open mouth, and then kissed her sweetly after she swallowed. It was times like these when they could finally escape from the Institute and enjoy each other's presence. Since they couldn't display their romantic feelings for each other in front of anyone, they had to settle for stolen kisses and secret meet-ups. They didn't mind though; it was better than trying to deny themselves what they both wanted.

"How long do you think we'll have to hide like this, Jules?" Emma sighed as she rested her head on his taut stomach.

"I don't know, Em. I don't know," he whispered, smoothing a hand over her hair.

"Maybe we'll be able to get the law changed. We could do it, I bet, if we fought for it."

But for now, as their relationship hinged on the _maybes_ and _ifs_, it thrived on the _forevers _and _always_

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"You always hog the covers, Em. Come on, give me some." Julian tugged on the covers as Emma sleepily shook her head and rolled over, taking even more covers with her. Julian groaned.

"Fine then. I see how it is," he whispered. Slowly, he shifted his body so that he was now spooning Emma, sharing the blankets she had stolen. "There we go," he mumbled into her hair. He saw her smile faintly in her sleep. Her smile undid him and he leaned over to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

Emma rolled over and opened her eyes. "Well now I'm awake, silly." She handed over the covers that they had been fighting for.

"See how painless that was?" Julian grinned. She snuggled into his side, relishing in his warmth. She traced the parabatai rune on his neck.

"I wish we could just stay like this forever," Emma whispered.

"Me too, Em. But if anyone finds out-"

"I know," she mumbled.

They both knew. But they also knew it was worth it. They were worth it.

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_Review!_


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